Hello hello dear friend we meet again. It’s been a while and there’s much to catch up. Not that anything earth shattering has happened since the new year but when friends sit down to talk there’s never really a shortage of things to talk about, is there?
If we were having coffee together…
…it would probably be just you with the coffee while I nurse my cup of mere-apne-haath-ki-adrak-wali-chai. There was a time when I longed for that special someone to hand me a cup of tea while I stayed in bed (The yearning for tea was almost as strong as the yearning for that special someone!) That dream did come true for a brief period when we had a live-in maid. However, over the years my taste-buds have become rather picky, and now only I can make tea the way I like it. So I’m left with a choice: not-good-tea-in-bed or good-tea-out-of-bed.
Bummer!
If we were having coffee together…
I’d ask if you knew that the second Friday of January is known as Quitter’s Day, because that’s when almost 80% of people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. (Only 9% make it to the end of the year with their resolutions intact). For me quitter’s day seems to have come at the end of the second week of February. I can feel myself falling in a rut, my resolutions losing steam. One of the purposes of this post is to remind me to keep going strong, to keep reading and writing, exercising and taking care of myself with enthusiasm rather than as a boring routine. With that in mind, I painted my non-existent nails this morning. I am done waiting for them to grow.
If we were having coffee together…
…I’d tell you that last night I watched Mona Lisa Smile, starring Julia Roberts. It’s right up there with Dead Poet’s Society as one of my favourite films. If you haven’t seen it yet, do catch it on Netflix — it’s a delight. I also discovered the musical Fiddler on the Roof on Amazon Prime. I sang along ‘Tradition’ and ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise-Sunset’ at the top of my lungs. Mercifully I was alone at home — no use giving people an impression one is madder than one actually is. Even if you don’t watch the whole film, watch the songs. Oh and before I forget, there’s this short film on YouTube called I am Not a Robot. It’s a 20-minute watch, and it’s free. Catch it if you can — it’s an unexpected take on self-identity and what it means to be human.
If we were having coffee together…
…I’d tell you that doctors really are smart people. The other day, I went to an eye specialist because my eyes were hurting. One look at me and, ‘It’s a pollen allergy,’ he told me even before I could settle down on the patient’s chair. ‘You came to me with the same problem, at the same time last year so it’s just seasonal’. I was dismissed in under five minutes. Impressive, right? I’ve, since then, been listening to audio books trying to give my eyes a rest.
If we were having coffee together…
…I’d tell you how N comes home each day pondering complicated concepts discussed in class – positivism, orientalism, nihilism, existentialism… phew! I love that she’s enjoying college. Her reading is heavy with Freud, Nietzsche and Simone de Beauvoir. I wonder if I was as serious a reader when I was her age. I am proud of her reading and tad bit awed. Yet I want her to ease up a little. Is that strange? That I want her to pick up a Dan Brown, a PG Wodehouse or a sweet warm romance?
On a related note: Did you know if red light mixes with green light we get yellow light? Of course, the rules of colour mixing are different from those of light mixing. How did I not realise this???
That’s how N is re-educating me. I promise to continue to faithfully pass on all such wisdom to you.
So tell me something new you saw/heard/watched/read/learnt/found out recently.
Editing to add: I got AI to make that tea-coffee picture for the post. Does it seem real enough? Or does it look AI generated?
One last edit: Are you cued into AI and all it can do for you? Have you used it for anything and found it useful? Do share. As a certified fossil, I’d love some pointers.
Oh, it’s such a delight to catch up like this!
Same pinch on adrak wali chai! I’m in Adelaide these days, staying with AG and his two friends. While I have no qualms about eating whatever the boys cook (they arent letting me cook!!), I do make sure to brew my own adrak-kali mirch chai… some habits are non-negotiable!
Wow, N is diving deep into some serious reading—impressive indeed!
And AI—what a fascinating tool! It’s incredible how it’s transforming creativity, learning and even simplifying everyday tasks. Your AI generated pic is great.
Shilpa Garg recently put up this amazing post…Whole Again
I am intrigued about what the boys are putting on your dinner plate. I think it’s fantastic idea to let them take over the kitchen. Glad you’re letting them do so. Looking forward to your posts about Adelaide.
I’d really like to have coffee or chai with you someday, Tulika. Your posts are so interesting, I can only imagine how you must be in person!
I’m going to watch Fiddler on The Roof again. It has so many memories associated with it and yes, I can imagine myself harassing José with the songs! I’m not a robot seems to have won an Oscar, so it’s a great recommendation from you.
Looking forward to an ongoing indirect education from N! 😉
I hope your eyes are all better now.
Oh if only we could have a big blogger meetup. It would be so much fun. For now however, I’m glad we meet up through our blog posts. This is why I will never give up blogging the old-fashioned way.
My eyes are fit and fine now, thank you.
I hope you enjoyed the films.
Just like you, only I can make a cup of coffee I like. It is plain, black and strong. And yet, only I seem to get it right. Poor husband tries time and again to get it right for me, but never hits the mark.
Dead Poet’s Society is one of my favorite movies too so I’m off to watch Mona Lisa Smile at the earliest. No one but Julia Roberts could have done justice to that title!
Color mixing is different from light mixing? Who would have thought!
I use AI generously when it comes to my work as a tech manager. Personally, I do use it to refine my writing when all I have is a rough draft of good thoughts but misspelled words. I basically give it 95% data and it puts it in a good format. Strangely enough, I’ve never created an image on AI. I struggle finding appropriate free images for my posts and I wonder why I never thought of this before. Off to check it out right away!
I hope you have fun with the AI image generation. I keep trying out new backgrounds and play around with the human characters. So much fun.
I didn’t know that Quitter’s Day is a thing! I also had no idea about the difference between light mixing and color mixing. I wonder how red and green somehow makes yellow. Thanks for all the interesting fun facts today! I watched and loved Mona Lisa Smile. Heading over to check out I Am Not a Robot now!
Damyanti Biswas recently put up this amazing post…Do You Watch Cute Dog Videos?
The light mixing thing came as a surprise but google confirmed it. Come to think about it, it makes sense – all colours of light together make white light but all colours (as in water colours) just make a mess :-).
My resolutions were broken when I fell ill, but I got back to them later. I think that counts—well, I’m counting!
AI-generated images often have an ethereal feel, which I don’t particularly like unless they’re accompanying a fantasy piece. But your coffee and tea cup picture looks real—no AI intervention suspected! Which AI platform did you use to generate this one, Tulika?
My allergies are acting up too this year—itchy eyes and a sneezy nose. It’s quite the treat! I hope your eyes feel better soon, Tulika.
Vinitha recently put up this amazing post…Fiction Monday – 240
It absolutely counts. The important part is to get back on your resolutions even if you drop off for a while.
As for the AI platform, I’m not a tech person. I simply type ‘convert text to image’ in google then try out whatever free sites it throws up and keep refining my query till I somewhat get what I want. Sorry, I don’t remember which one I used for this.
Uff adrak wali chai to start the day is the best. I too make one before starting work. But I wish I could say that am good at it. The Ai generated image actually looks good except usually the glass doesn’t have handle. But maybe that’s how manufacturers are making it that way. I use AI a lot. At work too. Intact we got copilot license and plugin in our editor. Also, we even created songs using AI.
Interesting to learn about quitters day. This year I have made a pretty vision board collage in pinterest. Planning to print it out and stick in on the wall. Maybe just maybe I will reach atleast one goal.
You too have pollen allergy!! This pollen allergy is ruining my life. I had to take antihistamines for my itchy eyes. I rubbed them so hard that they ended up hurting. There’s emergency tissues in all sides of my bags, in pockets and purses.
It was nice to catchup have a great week.
Rajlakshmi recently put up this amazing post…Gupshp Over Ek Cup Chai : Life’s little idiosyncrasies
Ooh thank you for pointing out the handle thing. I kept saying glass of tea but it kept giving me the handle. I realise I should have just told it to get rid of it and it would have done it. It’s fun though, tinkering around with AI. Music generation sounds next level.
I like the idea of a vision board. I have resorted to a monthy taks board kind of thing that’s helping me get things done.
Hope your allergies are better by now. I hate it when I have trouble reading and writing.
AI is everywhere nowadays and the line between original content and AI generated ones has become almost non existent.
There are pros and cons to it but only time will tell which list is longer. 🙂
I am an avid tea drinker and like you, only I can make the right kind of tea for me.
Loved both movies, Mona Lisa smile and Dead poet’s society. Can watch them multiple times and still find them amazing.
Your posts are like talking to a friend. The interactions feel good and real.
Nice to meet you after long. Let’s keep in touch.
I enjoy writing (and reading) these chai-coffee posts too. They have helped me make the best and most real connections in the blogging world.
The AI generated picture looks real to me. I have been trying to work with AI in terms of writing and editing and have no clue how to generate images with it. I must learn to venture in this area too.
I am right with you on the tea-talk. It’s been more than a decade where I have made my own tea and drank it all alone. Now I don’t need any company for the perfect tea I make at home. Chaayos main company chalegi par
I am not at all into watching movies or web series these days. My life has got very busy – Happy Busy I would say. For the kyuns and the kaises, you will have to read my recent Coffee share post.
That was my plugin
Eye trouble! I hope your eyes get better soon
Getting educated and re-educated by children is a thing. I thank you in advance for enlightening me and the other readers on whatever new information and knowledge you can gather from N. That light mixing vs colour mixing – I had no idea about this.
Now let’s catch up on my blog
I am a little wary of AI when it comes to writing. One, I feel it’ll make my writing generic and make me lose my voice and two, what if I get addicted to it and lose the capacity to think and write on my own!
I do enjoy making images though. Like I told Vinitha – I just look for random sites that convert text to image then give a very very detailed description of what I’m looking for and Bingo! the image is there.
Also, I’ve been to your blog. Completely love the idea of being ‘happy busy’. That’s something to aspire for.